Sermon Notes - Luke 1:26-38 - Looking to the Future Hope # 2 - Littleby Baptist Church - December 8, 2024

1.        We are continuing our Christmas series looking to the Future Hope we have.

a.        Last week we started by looking at Isaiah 9.

b.       The people were going through a tough time but were being told that light, happiness, and joy were in their future.

c.        They should have hope.

d.       Isiah was prophesying about the coming Messiah, Jesus.

e.        The one who will reign for all of eternity.

f.          To rule over all of the earth.

g.        Christ the King will bring Hope to all.

2.        This was not a prophecy for the people of Israel for their immediate situation.

a.        It is a prophecy of a child that was born 2,000 years ago.

b.       And who will return at some point in our future.

c.        A prophecy that should still bring us hope today.

d.       As that child, turned into a man who paid our sin debt.

e.        So that we could be redeemed.

f.          A man who will one day return to establish His kingdom.

g.        Our Hope, our Future Hope was prophesied by Isaish and has been, is being, and will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Lord.

3.        To set the stage a bit let’s skim through some of the events of the first part of Luke chapter 1.

4.        Luke 1:5-6

a.        A Priest and his wife.

b.       According to Scripture they are righteous.

c.        They honored God in how they live their lives.

d.       When Zechariah is called to serve in the temple the angel Gabriel appears to him.

e.        Gabriel tells him that Zechariah is going to have a son.

f.          That his son John is going to be special.

5.        Luke 1:16-17

a.        John is going to pave the way for the coming Messiah.

b.       John was going to call the people to repent of their ways.

c.        This was exciting but was hard for Zechariah to believe.

d.       He and his wife were past their prime.

e.        In the next few verses, we see that Elizabeth becomes pregnant.

f.          What Gabriel told Zechariah was coming true.

6.        We are going to dig in starting at verse 26.

7.        Luke 1:26-27

a.        During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, Gabriel visits her cousin Mary.

b.       You likely know the story.

c.        Joseph and Mary were engaged.

d.       In Biblical time, this meant they were essentially married except that they did not live together, and no relations were to occur.

e.        Hence Mary was a virgin.

f.          These verses talk about Joseph being of the house of David, which is the tribe of Judah.

g.        Look at Luke 3:23 – Heli is Mary’s father.

h.        So, when we trace this back from Heli, we see in verse 31 king David and verse 33 Judah.

i.          Mary was of the tribe of Judah.

j.          Which ties back Isaiah 9:7

k.        The Future Hope we talked about last week is pointing to the events unfolding in Luke 1.

8.        Luke 1:28

a.        Gabriel appeared, which would be overwhelming enough.

b.       But to hear even just his initial statement would be hard to grasp.

c.        A young poor lady.

d.       To be called favored and told that the Lord is with her.

e.        She might look at her circumstances and question how she was favored and how God was with her.

9.        Luke 1:29

a.        Not what she would have expected to happen that day.

b.       Troubled, confused, trying to figure out what it meant.

c.        Why would an angel appear to her?

d.       Why would an angel say that she was favored by God?

e.        It did not make sense.

10.   It is probably safe to say we do not have angels appearing to us, but there is a lot in our lives that does not make sense.

a.        There are things we question.

b.       Things that trouble us.

c.        Things that confuse us.

d.       Things that we cannot seem to figure out.

e.        We may be facing some of that today.

f.          Might be scratching our heads trying to understand why something is happening.

g.        We are not facing the same events as Mary.

h.        But we can relate to the same feelings.

i.          Troubled, confused, not sure what is happening.

11.   Luke 1:30

a.        Mary gets very direct encouragement.

b.       Do not be afraid.

c.        You have found favor with God.

d.       Gabriel has not appeared to me to encourage me.

e.        Sometimes I think it might be easier to believe if he did.

f.          But the reality is we have it better.

g.        Hear me out.

h.        They did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

i.          They did not have the Words of Jesus and the rest of the New Testament.

j.          We have the Holy Spirit in us, who helps us understand, guides us, and strengthens us.

k.        We have God’s Word before us.

l.          We have Hope through the gift that our Lord and Savior Jesus has given us.

m.     It might be nice for an angel to appear to us, but if I had to choose, I like what we have.

n.        An angel appearing is a one-time thing.

o.        The Holy Spirit is with us always.

12.   Luke 1:31

a.        This probably did not help Mary figure things out much.

b.       She is going to be pregnant.

c.        She is going to have a son.

d.       Named Jesus, Immanual, Yahweh is Salvation, God is with us.

e.        I would expect this was not giving Mary any Hope, it was likely overwhelming her even more.

f.          When we don’t understand what is going on.

g.        When we try to figure things out on our own.

h.        When we try to do it all on our own.

i.          When we attempt to do it without God… we tend to feel the same way.

j.          Hopeless.

k.        Overwhelmed.

13.   Luke 1:32

a.        At this point Mary would have understood exactly what Gabriel meant with these words.

b.       Son of Most High – God’s Son.

c.        Not like we are God’s children.

d.       But, as one who is equal to Yahweh.

e.        A carbon copy of the Father.

f.          Mary was going to give birth to God.

g.        Who was also going to have the throne of David.

h.        Mary would have known that Gabriel was telling her that her child was going to be the triumphant king that many were looking forward to.

14.   Scripture tells us that Jesus fulfills this when He returns to setup His Millennial kingdom.

a.        He will reign as no other king has.

b.       He is our King.

c.        We are starting to see that this coming child will bring us the future Hope.

d.       A Hope that was prophesied about.

e.        A Hope that requires the birth of an innocent child.

f.          A Hope that has been given to those who have turned to Jesus, but it is still in our future.

15.   Luke 1:33

a.        Jesus’ reign will not end at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.

b.       It will continue forever.

c.        2 Samuel 7:13-16

d.       God through Samuel, told David that his descendent would rule forever.

e.        Mary would have understood this.

f.          She would have known that Gabriel was telling her that the son she would carry would be the promised Messiah.

g.        The One who would bring Hope to all of humankind.

h.        She knew exactly who Gabriel was talking about.

i.          She knew she was going to carry the future Hope for all.

16.   Luke 1:34-38

a.        May it be done to me according to your word… May the Lord’s will be done.

b.       Mary submitted to God.

17.   A posture of submission is not one we tend to be fond of.

a.        In our world we tend to get things done.

b.       We just figure it out.

c.        Take care of it.

d.       Depend on no one.

e.        When we approach life like that, where are we placing our hope?

f.          We are placing it in ourselves.

g.        In our abilities.

h.        We may be good at a lot of things, but we cannot compare to our God.

18.   Instead, we need to trust in the Son of the Most High.

a.        We need to put our faith in the one who will sit on the throne of King David.

b.       The one who will reign over the house of Jacob forever.

c.        The Lion of Judah.

d.       Whose Kingdom will never end.

e.        Who is known as Immanual, Yahweh is Salvation, God is with us, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

19.   Romans 15:13

a.        These are words for Believers – re-read the verse.

b.       May His Hope be secure in you, through your faith in Him.

c.        May that fill you with Peace, even when your heart does not understand it.

d.       May it fill you with Joy when the circumstances don’t justify it.

e.        May the Holy Spirit, remind of the Future Hope you have in Jesus.

f.          Hold on to that Hope, no matter what life throws your way.

20.   If you don’t know Jesus, it is not too late, but it could be tomorrow.

a.        God loves you.

b.       He loves you so much that He sent His son Jesus to this earth to die for you.

c.        Jesus died to pay for our sins.

d.       To pay a price that we owed.

e.        He did this out of love.

f.          To offer us forgiveness.

g.        To offer a future with Him.

h.        To give us Hope instead of despair.

i.          It is a gift He is offering, that starts with belief and repentance.

j.          If you would like to start down that path I would love to talk and pray with you.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Get Your Christmas On! We all need it!

Sermon Notes - Romans 3:9-20 - Littleby Baptist Church - September 8, 2024

Should Religion be Taught in Public Schools - Written by my 14 year old son.